In an unusual year marked by the crosswinds of strong demand and supply chain constraints, the manufacturing volume of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing products rose 6% in 2021 compared with the total volume in 2020, according to the latest Quarterly Market Data Report for Q4 2021, also known as the “tonnage report,” released by the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA).
Larry Williams, SFIA executive director, noted that the 2021 tonnage increase also exceeded the typical year-over-year growth for the years prior to 2020.
Manufacturers of cold-formed steel framing (CFS) products delivered a 6% increase in tonnage during 2021 versus 2020.
CFS tonnage figures are a leading indicator of non-residential construction demand. The tonnage data and analysis are available for purchase at the SFIA Store.
- Structural products are typically used for load-bearing applications, such as exterior walls, lateral force resisting systems, floors and roofs.
- Applications for nonstructural products generally include framing for non-load bearing walls, soffits and backing for architectural finishes.
The SFIA Quarterly Market Data Reports provide buyers and users of CFS framing a statistical summary of the volume of steel, in raw tons, used to produce CFS studs, track, joists, angle, furring channel, hat channel, flat steel, Z furring, clips, purlins, girts, resilient channel, cold-rolled channel, cold-formed truss components, special cold-formed shapes and scrap. Metal lath is not included in the data. The data is derived from a quarterly survey of SFIA member manufacturers, which as a group produce about 85% of the CFS products manufactured in the United States.
Steel Framing Industry Association
The Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA), which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, provides its members with exclusive access to technical cold-formed steel (CFS) framing marketing, sustainability and educational services, such as the SFIA Forum series.
SFIA member services include access to market data, market analysis, technical design guides, architectural services, environmental product declarations, CFS certification and more.
Additional Resources
- Steel Framing Provides Benefits to Investors Seeking Greener Buildings
- Economists Project a Busy 2022 for Construction
- SFIA Reports Big Jump in Q2 Steel Stud Volume